This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, January 22, 2012
The Psalms: Psalm 62
THE GOSPEL LESSON Mark 1:14-20
SERMON "The Refuge of Silence"
WORSHIP NOTES
Welcome to worship at Westminster on this the Fourth Sunday in Epiphany. Like Westminster, many reformed congregations began to observe a season of Epiphany on January 1 and continue the Epiphany season until Transfiguration Sunday (February 19), which is the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday (February 22) and the start of the Lenten season. The liturgical color for the season of Epiphany is white.
Throughout the Epiphany season, our worship will be based upon the Psalm texts included in the Revised Common Lectionary. The Psalms are among the church's earliest hymns, expressing praise and prayer, lament and thanksgiving. Because these scriptures were envisioned as hymns, we will "sing the Psalms" throughout the Epiphany season. Settings of the Psalms that are sung by the body of Christ assembled are called "the Psalter."
Our worship today builds upon the text of Psalm 62, which reflective the contemplative spirit of our souls as they individually "wait upon the Lord." This theme of Psalm 62 is reflected in the hymns and service music through which we worship.
This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, January 15, 2012
THE GOSPEL LESSON John 1:43-51
PSALM 139 The congregation sings the refrain before and after the cantor sings each verse.
SERMON "The Sovereignty of God: Ever Pervasive Grace"
WORSHIP NOTES
Welcome to worship at Westminster on this the Third Sunday in Epiphany. Like Westminster, many reformed congregations began to observe a season of Epiphany on January 1 and continue the Epiphany season until Transfiguration Sunday (February 19), which is the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday (February 22) and the start of the Lenten season. The liturgical color for the season of Epiphany is white.
Throughout the Epiphany season, our worship will be based upon the Psalm texts included in the Revised Common Lectionary. The Psalms are among the church's earliest hymns, expressing praise and prayer, lament and thanksgiving. Because these scriptures were envisioned as hymns, we will "sing the Psalms" throughout the Epiphany season. Settings of the Psalms that are sung by the body of Christ assembled are called "the Psalter."
Our worship today builds upon the text of Psalm 139, which proclaims the omnipresence of God and reminds us that God acts in all things. These themes of Psalm 139 are reflected in the hymns and service music through which we worship.
This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, January 8, 2012
THE EPISTLE LESSON Acts 19:1-7
THE GOSPEL LESSON Mark 1:4-11
SERMON "Baptism By Spirit"
WORSHIP NOTES
Welcome to worship at Westminster on this the Second Sunday in Epiphany, which is also called "Baptism of the Lord Sunday" in the liturgical calendar. Like Westminster, many reformed congregations began to observe a season of Epiphany on January 1 and continue the Epiphany season until Transfiguration Sunday (February 19), which is the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday (February 22) and the start of the Lenten season. The liturgical color for the season of Epiphany is white.
Our worship experience today begins with reflection on the baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan, transitions to our annual reaffirmation of our own baptismal vows, and concludes with the act of ordination and installation of church officers. This movement reflects God's acts through the Holy Spirit, which calls us all to ministries of grace and unites us in one baptism through God.
The music through which we worship today is chose to reaffirm our baptismal covenants and give voice to God's call upon our lives. As we reaffirm our baptism, you will be invited to come forward down the center aisle, place your hand in the font, and withdraw a stone, which will serve as a visible symbol and reminder of your baptism throughout the coming year.
The acclamation hymn is a selection from the new denominational hymnal of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The new hymnal, which will be called Glory to God, has been in development since 2004 and is expected to be finalized for publication in fall 2013. As part of a program called "Many Voices, One Song," Westminster will use specific hymns from Glory to God in our worship services on selected dates throughout 2012.
This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, January 1, 2012
THE EPISTLE LESSON Ephesians 3: 1-12
THE GOSPEL LESSON Matthew 2: 1-12
SERMON "A New Year and a New Body"
WORSHIP NOTES
Welcome to worship at Westminster on Epiphany Sunday! Epiphany Sunday is a day set aside for celebrating the shining forth or revelation of God to humankind in the person of Jesus Christ. Both Eastern and Western churches observe Epiphany, however the specific date of the celebration varies with each tradition. In the Western church, Epiphany is observed 12 days after Christmas (January 6). Like Westminster, many reformed congregations choose to observe Epiphany on the first Sunday in January and continue to observe a liturgical season of Epiphany until Transfiguration Sunday, which is celebrated on the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday (February 22). The liturgical color for Epiphany is white. "Light" is the common liturgical symbol for the season of Epiphany.
This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, December 25, 2011
This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, December 24, 2011
WORSHIP NOTES
The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols was first held on Christmas Eve 1918 at Kings College at Cambridge. This service was adapted from an order prepared by the Archbishop of Canterbury for a Christmas Eve service in 1880 by Eric Milner-White, a former army chaplain, who, at the age of 34, had just been appointed Dean of King's College. With the exception of 1930, the Cambridge Festival has been broadcast annually on the radio since 1928. (In Madison, the Cambridge Festival may be heard on Wisconsin Public Radio on Christmas Eve morning.) Although the anthems and carols change each year, the lessons read from the King James Bible and the prayers used in the service have remained virtually unchanged since 1918. Like Westminster, many churches have adapted the Cambridge Festival service for use in worship during the Advent and Christmas seasons.
Eric Milner-White described the Festival service in this way:
"Its liturgical order and pattern is the strength of the service; the main theme is the development of the loving purposes of God, from the Creation to the Incarnation, through the windows and words of the Bible: the scriptures, not the carols, are the backbone."
As with all worship services at Westminster, the faithful expression of God's word is our primary focus. The music--handmaid of the liturgy--is our response to God's word proclaimed. Through music dating from the 16th to the 21st centuries, we have an opportunity today to respond to God's word by drawing from a diverse and rich heritage of choral repertoire and carols.
As we worship, we know that God's promises of hope and love abide in Christ and, through him, also abide in each of us. Let us respond to God's word this morning with joy as we add our voices to the messengers who preach the gospel of peace.
This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, December 11, 2011
THE PROPHETIC LESSON Isaiah 35:1-10
THE GOSPEL LESSON Luke 1:46-55
SERMON "The Turning of Joy"
WORSHIP NOTES
Welcome to worship at Westminster on this the Third Sunday of Advent. The liturgical color for Advent is blue and that color appears not only on the paraments on the communion table and lectern, but also in the choir stoles and in three of the four candles in the Advent wreath. The season of Advent is measured by the four Sundays preceding Christmas Day. Each week represents the passage of 1,000 years to total the 4,000 years believed to have elapsed between the time of Adam and Eve and the birth of Jesus Christ. We use an Advent wreath as a symbol of our progression through this season as we prepare to receive the gift of God's love through Christ.
The season of Advent is a time of anticipation, expectation, and preparation. By observing a season of Advent, we have the opportunity to reflect on how much our world waits with eager longing for the coming of the Messiah. During this Advent, we reflect on this sense of expectation by reading the "Song of Mary" or the "Canticle of Mary" in Luke's gospel. Each week, we will consider how Mary's song offers particular insights into the ways in which we express our faith that God's promises of hope, peace, joy, and love will be fulfilled.
In worship today, we focus on the joy with which we wait for the Lord. The hymns, anthems, and service music through which we worship have all been chosen to reflect this spirit of joy. Today, as a symbol that we have reached the half-way point in our Advent journey, we light the pink candle, which is also called the "Gaudete" or "joy" candle, in the Advent wreath.
You may notice in our worship during Advent, our announcements have been moved from the beginning of our worship. The reason for this is our inclusion of the liturgy for the lighting of the Advent candles as our opening act of worship. The image evoked here is one where we gather around the wreath to light a candle in the darkness for our worship together. The announcements for this season are more appropriately placed following the Passing of the Peace as an act of the community together.
This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, December 04, 2011
This is the lesson and sermon from Sunday, November 27, 2011
